For a number of patients, local recurrences of anal cancer after chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy or surgery can be controlled. Surgical removal of the recurrent tumor , either alone or sometimes with the addition of various chemotherapy protocols with or without radiation, can improve the local control. Long-term survival rates vary considerably depending on the extent and location of the recurrence.
Current investigational programs— including combinations of mitomycin-C + cisplatin + doxorubicin and bleomycin + lomustine (CCNU)—have been variably effective in controlling metastatic and/or recurrent disease.
